CONNECTICUT STATE POLICE THANKSGIVING ADVISORY

The Connecticut State Police will supplement normal routine patrol personnel with additional State Troopers over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  State Troopers will patrol all roads and highways across Connecticut to focus on drunk driving and to also target aggressive drivers and unsafe operation. Traffic will be heavy. Thanksgiving eve and day are the busiest traffic days of the year. Don’t follow too close, slow down, stay off your cell phone while driving and report any suspected drunk drivers to police. 

Sobriety checkpoints and roving DUI patrols will target several areas across the state throughout the weekend.  The Connecticut State Police are committed to reducing crashes through preventive enforcement initiatives such as safety spot checks at sobriety checkpoints.

In addition to driving safe on Connecticut roadways, Citizens are also reminded by the State Police Detectives assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s Office to be safe in their homes. Cooking fires nearly double on Thanksgiving Day. The following safety tips will help keep our citizens safe:

·         Keep your family and overnight guests safe with working smoke detectors in your home. Test smoke detectors monthly and replace batteries at least twice a year. Remind your guests of your fire escape plan and designated meeting place for your home.

·         Have a fire extinguisher available not more than 10 feet from the stove, on the exit side of the room.

·         When cooking, do not wear clothing with loose sleeves or dangling jewelry. The clothing can catch on fire and the jewelry can catch on pot handles, causing spills and burns.  Try to cook on the back burners when possible and turn pot handles in so they don’t extend over the edge of the stove.

·         Never leave cooking unattended. If you must leave the kitchen while cooking, turn off the stove or have someone else watch  what is being cooked. Keep small children out of the kitchen during cooking.

·         Keep Thanksgiving decorations and kitchen clutter away from sources of direct heat.

·         Candles are often part of holiday decorations. Candles should never be left burning when you are away from home, or after going to bed. Candles should be located where children will not be tempted to play with them, and where guests will not  accidentally brush against them. The candle holder and any surrounding decorations should be completely noncombustible.

With fire-wise common sense, you can make sure tragedy does not come between you and the Thanksgiving festivities you have planned.

The Connecticut State Police want all Connecticut residents to enjoy a safe Thanksgiving.

See attached list for DUI sobriety checkpoint locations.

Click here for Sobriety Checkpoints

###END###

LT. J. Paul Vance